Device comprising a removable central console

ABSTRACT

A device for the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle comprising a central console. The device further comprises a slideway intended to be fixed to the passenger compartment of the vehicle, extending in a longitudinal direction of elongation, and having a lateral opening also extending in that longitudinal direction, and guiding and retaining means sliding within the slideway, said guiding and retaining means extending through said lateral opening and being linked to the console.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention concerns a device for the passengercompartment of a motor vehicle comprising a central console.

[0002] Such a device, intended to be arranged between the seats, inparticular between the front seats, serves especially for storage orsupport.

[0003] The document CA-A-2 245 311 describes such a device comprising,in addition to the central console, a slideway intended to be fixed tothe floor of the vehicle and guiding and retaining means sliding withinthe slideway. The slideway extends in a longitudinal direction ofelongation and has a lateral opening also extending in that longitudinaldirection. Said guiding and retaining means extend through said lateralopening and are linked to the console.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0004] The aim of the invention is to improve the functionality of thecentral console, while proposing a simple and therefore less troublesomedevice, easy to use and robust. In order so to do, the inventionproposes that said guiding and retaining means are movable with respectto the slideway between a retaining position in which they aremaintained within the slideway and a removal position permittingdisconnection from the slideway by passing through said lateral opening.

[0005] Thus, the passenger compartment of the vehicle can be modifiedmore by removing the central console. In addition, the fact of passingthe guiding and retaining means laterally through said opening makes itpossible on the one hand to leave only the slideway remaining in placein the vehicle and on the other hand to embed the slideway in the floorof the vehicle. Consequently, this solution makes it possible to benefitfully from the space freed by the console and to avoid damaging theguiding and retaining means.

[0006] In order to make the device easier to use, the invention proposesthat the movement of the guiding and retaining means between theretaining position and the removal position comprises a rotationalmovement.

[0007] This rotational movement, distinct from the sliding movement ofthe console, makes it possible to reduce the risk of involuntary releaseof the console with respect to the slideway.

[0008] In order to reduce this risk even further, the invention proposesthat the guiding and retaining means are movable between the retainingposition and the removal position only in a specific zone or zones alongthe slideway.

[0009] According to a complementary feature, the invention proposesthat:

[0010] the lateral opening has at least one sliding zone havingtransversely to the longitudinal direction a substantially constantwidth, and a removal zone of greater width, transversely to thelongitudinal direction,

[0011] the guiding and retaining means comprise a runner of non-circularsection pivoting within the slideway between said relative retaining andremoval positions,

[0012] in the retaining position, the guiding means have a width greaterthan that of the lateral opening, including in the removal zone,

[0013] in the removal position, the guiding means have a width betweenthe width of the lateral opening in the sliding zone and the width ofthe lateral opening in the removal zone.

[0014] As a result, the removal of the console cannot take place if therunner is placed by the user in a retaining position, irrespective ofthe sliding of the console with respect to the slideway. Moreover, evenif the runner is placed in the removal position, it is still necessaryfor it to be brought into the removal zone to release the console. Thismakes it possible to reduce further the risk of separation of theconsole from the slideway due to incorrect operation or to theintervention, unwanted by the user, of children “playing” with thedevice.

[0015] To fulfil these functions effectively, both in the retainingposition and in the removal position, the runner will advantageouslyhave a substantially rectangular shape.

[0016] In order to make the device even easier to use, the inventionproposes that:

[0017] the guiding and retaining means further comprise a control rodlinked at one of its ends to the runner and passing through said lateralopening, and

[0018] the control rod has opposite the lateral opening a non-circularsection of a width substantially equal to the width of the lateralopening in the sliding zone, in order to prevent the rotation of theguiding and retaining means relative to the slideway in said slidingzone.

[0019] Thus, as long as the runner is opposite the sliding zone itremains in the position in which it has been placed, in the retainingposition or the removal position, and it can be displaced from oneposition to the other when it is opposite the removal zone.

[0020] In order to make the device even easier to use, according to anadvantageous feature of the invention, the control rod passes throughthe central console, such that the guiding and retaining means can bemanipulated easily both to slide the console and to remove it.

[0021] In order to maintain the console in a specific position along theslideway, the invention proposes that the device comprises indexingmeans comprising:

[0022] holes disposed in the slideway and distributed in thelongitudinal direction, and

[0023] an indexing rod linked to the guiding and retaining means andmovable between an active position in which it is inserted into theholes of the slideway, and a retracted inactive position permittingsliding in the longitudinal direction between the guiding and retainingmeans and the slideway.

[0024] The invention further proposes advantageously that:

[0025] the control rod is hollow and receives internally the indexingrod,

[0026] the control rod and the indexing rod are each connected to acontrol handle, which control handles slide one in the other.

[0027] Thus, it is easy to retract the indexing means, slide the consoleand control the guiding and retaining means.

[0028] In addition, the invention proposes, in order to prevent rotationof the console about the guiding and retaining means, that the devicefurther comprises at least one lug linked to the central console andsliding in the slideway.

[0029] The invention will become clearer from the following description,provided with reference to the appended drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0030]FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic view in median section of a deviceaccording to the invention,

[0031]FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the guiding and retaining means ofthe device of the invention,

[0032]FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the device along the line III-III inFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRITPION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0033] FIGS. 1 to 3 illustrate a device 1 essentially comprising acentral console 12, a slideway 11 and guiding and retaining meansdefined here by a carriage or runner 8 sliding within the slideway 11and disposed at the end of a tubular control rod 2.

[0034] The slideway 11, embedded in the floor 17 of a vehicle, extendsin a direction of elongation 10 and has laterally an opening defining agroove 13 also extending in the direction of elongation 10. The groove13 comprises a sliding zone 15 and a removal zone 16 of greater width,perpendicularly to the direction of elongation 10.

[0035] The assembly of control rod 2 and runner 8 is movable in rotationwith respect to the central console 12 on an axis perpendicular to thesliding direction 10. As illustrated more precisely in FIG. 2, thisassembly further has a portion 9 of substantially square sectiondisposed opposite the groove 13 the width of which is such that saidassembly, and more precisely its portion 9, is blocked in rotation bythe rib 13 when it is opposite the sliding zone 15 and is free to rotatewithin the slideway 11 when it is opposite the removal zone 16, asillustrated more precisely in FIG. 3.

[0036] The runner 8 is substantially rectangular. It has a lengthgreater than the width of the groove 13, including in the removal zone16, such that when it is disposed in the retaining position,transversely to the direction of elongation 10, it is maintained withinthe slideway 11 whether it is opposite the sliding zone 15 or theremoval zone 16. On the other hand, its width is between the width ofthe groove 13 in the sliding zone 15 and the width of the groove 13 inthe removal zone 16. Thus, when it is disposed in the removal position,in the direction of elongation 10, as shown by dash/dotted lines in FIG.3, it is maintained within the slideway 11, if it is located oppositethe sliding zone 15, and can pass through the slideway 11 if it islocated opposite the removal zone 16.

[0037] The hollow control rod 2 passes through the central console 12and has at its upper end a control handle 5. The hollow rod 2 enclosesan indexing rod 4 sliding within the hollow rod 2 and, similarly, thecontrol handle 5 encloses a control handle 6 associated with theindexing rod 4, sliding within the control handle 5, such that thecontrol handles 5, 6, the control rod 2 and the indexing rod 4 rotatetogether within the console 12.

[0038] The central rod 4 is movable between a locked position in whichits opposite end from the control handle 6 engages in indexing holes 14provided in the slideway 11, opposite the groove 13, and a slidingposition in which the central rod 4 is disengaged from the indexingholes 14. When the central rod 4 is in the locked position, it blocksthe central console 12 in a given position. When the central rod 4 is ina sliding position, it releases the central console 12 and allows it toslide along the slideway 11 guided by the runner 8. A compression spring7, disposed between the control handles 5 and 6, tends to bring theindexing rod 4 into the locked position.

[0039] The device further comprises two lugs 3 a, 3 b linked to thecentral console 12, disposed on each side of the guiding and retainingmeans 2, 8 and engaging in the groove 13 to prevent the central console12 from pivoting about them.

1. Device for the passenger compartment of a motor vehicle, comprising:a central console, a slideway intended to be fixed to the passengercompartment of the vehicle, extending in a longitudinal direction ofelongation and having a lateral opening also extending in thatlongitudinal direction, guiding and retaining means sliding within theslideway, said guiding and retaining means extending through saidlateral opening and being linked to the console, wherein said guidingand retaining means are movable with respect to the slideway between aretaining position in which they are maintained within the slideway anda removal position permitting disconnection from the slideway by passingthrough said lateral opening.
 2. Device according to claim 1, whereinthe movement of the guiding and retaining means between the retainingposition and the removal position comprises a rotational movement. 3.Device according to claim 2, wherein the guiding and retaining means aremovable between the retaining position and the removal position only ina specific zone or zones along the slideway.
 4. Device according toclaim 3, wherein: the lateral opening has at least one sliding zone (15)having transversely to the longitudinal direction a substantiallyconstant width and a removal zone (16) of greater width, transversely tothe longitudinal direction, the guiding and retaining means comprise arunner (8) of non-circular section pivoting within the slideway betweensaid relative retaining and removal positions, in the retainingposition, the guiding means have a width greater than that of thelateral opening, including in the removal zone, in the removal position,the guiding means have a width between the width of the lateral openingin the sliding zone and the width of the lateral opening in the removalzone.
 5. Device according to claim 4, wherein the runner (8) issubstantially rectangular in shape.
 6. Device according to claim 4,wherein: the guiding and retaining means further comprise a control rod(2) linked at one of its ends to the runner and passing through saidlateral opening, and the control rod has opposite the lateral opening(11) a non-circular section (9) of a width substantially equal to thewidth of the lateral opening in the sliding zone, in order to preventthe rotation of the guiding and retaining means relative to the slidewayin said sliding zone.
 7. Device according to claim 6, wherein thecontrol rod passes through the central console.
 8. Device according toclaim 1, wherein it includes position indexing means for immobilisingthe console, comprising: holes disposed in the slideway and distributedin the longitudinal direction, and an indexing rod, linked to theguiding and retaining means, movable between an active position in whichit is inserted into the holes of the slideway and a retracted inactiveposition permitting sliding in the longitudinal direction between theguiding and retaining means and the slideway.
 9. Device according toclaim 6, wherein it includes position indexing means for immobilisingthe console, comprising: holes disposed in the slideway and distributedin the longitudinal direction, and an indexing rod, linked to theguiding and retaining means, movable between an active position in whichit is inserted into the holes of the slideway and a retracted inactiveposition permitting sliding in the longitudinal direction between theguiding and retaining means and the slideway and wherein: the controlrod is hollow and receives internally the indexing rod, the control rodand the indexing rod are each connected to a control handle, whichcontrol handles slide one in the other.
 10. Device according to claim 2,wherein it further comprises at least one lug linked to the centralconsole and sliding in the slideway in order to prevent the rotation ofthe console about the guiding and retaining means.